Game 3 of Panthers-Oilers Stanley Cup final could tilt a tight series

Stephen Whyno · The Associated Press

· Posted: Jun 09, 2025 1:14 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

After going the region successful the Stanley Cup last past twelvemonth with the Florida Panthers beating the Edmonton Oilers by a extremity successful Game 7 and being 1 triumph isolated during the regular season, not overmuch is separating these 2 NHL powerhouses truthful acold successful their title bid rematch.

This last is conscionable astir arsenic adjacent arsenic tin beryllium done 2 games, with each squad winning erstwhile successful overtime and knowing afloat good 1 puck disconnected the station oregon into the nett could person dramatically changed the situation.

That remains the lawsuit going into Game 3 connected Monday nighttime astatine Florida, with the precise existent accidental that a mates of bounces and tiny adjustments could tilt the bid 1 mode oregon the other.

"It's conscionable the back-and-forth punches of a heavyweight tilt," seasoned Oilers guardant Adam Henrique said aft signifier Sunday. "Every displacement matters truthful overmuch due to the fact that it mightiness beryllium a 1-0 crippled and a 2-1 game, and those mistakes that could either outgo you oregon wage dividends for you and keeping that unit precocious — that tin beryllium the difference."

This has been a antithetic last than galore successful the caller past, successful portion due to the fact that there's nary underdog successful it who no 1 expected to get this acold — the opponents cognize each different good and the teams are astir astatine afloat strength. That has made for immoderate prime hockey wherever the goals person piled up and yet the defence and goaltending person astatine the aforesaid clip been stellar.

"Everything is contested each implicit the ice, truthful you're having much events and it's much intense, but what a fantastic happening to beryllium capable to accidental that successful the final," Panthers manager Paul Maurice said aft his team's optional skate successful Fort Lauderdale.

"Both teams are competing defensively. They're blocking shots, they're battling, they're backchecking and it's inactive a high-event game. That's immoderate high-end skill."

That high-end accomplishment has been connected display. Three-time league and reigning playoff MVP Connor McDavid fittingly leads each scorers with 5 points, and longtime Edmonton moving mate Leon Draisaitl has matched Florida's Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand astatine 3 goals apiece.

Game 1 finished 4-3 successful overtime and Game 2 was 5-4 successful treble OT. The Oilers person much shots, 92 to 74, portion the Panthers person led for implicit 67 minutes compared to trailing for astir 28 minutes.

It has been tied for ample swaths of regulation, and for each the offence, players admit determination has not been a full batch of crystal with which to operate.

"It's precise tight," said Marchand, who scored the Game 2 victor 8:04 into the 2nd overtime.

"You can't marque immoderate mistakes. Just each clip you do, they look to get thing disconnected of it. And we're evidently balanced passim the lineup, truthful it's precise choky retired there. The games talk for themselves. It's been a battle. Very aggravated and a batch of amusive to beryllium a portion of."

Like Maurice did aft his squad mislaid the opener, Oilers manager Kris Knoblauch is making immoderate changes going connected the roadworthy wherever helium does not power the matchups. He jumbled his defence pairs, putting Evan Bouchard with Darnell Nurse, Mattias Ekholm with John Klingberg, and Brett Kulak with Jake Walman.

"We're ever making adjustments to antagonistic immoderate teams are doing, who's playing well," Knoblauch said.

"Fortunately, our players are comfy with immoderate changes that we bash marque conscionable due to the fact that of however overmuch we've fluctuated our pairs and lines passim the season. In Games 1 and 2 we had immoderate changes, and games passim the remainder of the bid there'll beryllium immoderate more."

The propulsion and propulsion has been rather thing to behold. Tune successful to conscionable 1 play oregon a fistful of shifts and it's casual to get the thought that 1 squad oregon the different is dominating, and past not agelong aft it alternates.

"Both teams volition person times wherever they look similar they've got possession of the game, but it's conscionable not going to last. It doesn't last," Maurice said. "This is truthful adjacent retired there, truthful you tin instrumentality a look astatine that video and I tin find you 15 goals for the Edmonton Oilers that conscionable didn't spell in, and I tin find you the nonstop aforesaid for the Florida Panthers."

The affectional ebbs and flows, Maurice insists, are besides not arsenic large of a swing as it looks from the outside. He didn't consciousness arsenic devastated aft the Game 1 decision oregon arsenic euphoric aft the Game 2 triumph arsenic it whitethorn person appeared.

His players are accustomed to these waves from losing successful the last to Vegas successful 2023 and winning successful 7 games a twelvemonth agone aft surrendering a 3-0 bid lead.

"It's each astir staying successful the moment," Panthers winger Sam Reinhart said. "You can't deliberation excessively acold ahead, and you can't deliberation excessively acold successful the past."

WATCH | What Oilers fans are expecting up of Game 3:

Draisaitl, who scored the Game 1 OT goal, acknowledged the what-ifs creep into players' heads successful the contiguous aftermath of a hard result.

But helium and his teammates and their counterparts connected the different broadside recognize they can't dwell excessively overmuch fixed the razor bladed borderline of error.

"Two truly bully teams going astatine it," Draisaitl said. "You person to enactment elaborate and cognize that each those small bounces matter."

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins a game-time decision

Oilers guardant Ryan Nugent-Hopkins remains a question people for Game 3.

The versatile guardant missed Sunday's signifier with an undisclosed injury.

Nugent-Hopkins came connected precocious for the team's optional greeting skate Monday astatine Amerant Bank Arena.

Edmonton caput manager Kris Knoblauch said Nugent-Hopkins volition instrumentality warm-ups and beryllium a game-time determination with the rubric bid against the Florida Panthers tied 1-1.

Veteran winger Jeff Skinner looks acceptable to gully into the lineup if Nugent-Hopkins, who has 5 goals and 13 assists successful 18 games successful these playoffs, is incapable to go.

Florida winger A.J. Greer volition instrumentality from wounded successful spot of Jesper Boqvist aft missing the archetypal 2 games of the final.